Item YCF/1/2034 - York City vs Darlington

The present club was formed in 1922 and prior to their election to Division Three North of the Football League in 1929 played in the Midland League. They remained in the Northern Section until 1958 when they became one of the original members of the Fourth Division. (During the Second World War when the League was suspended from1939 until 1946 the club operated in the various wartime competitions). Over the next 45 seasons (1958-2004) the club won promotion six times. In 1958/59 and 1964/65 they moved up to the third tier only to suffer immediate relegation. City again gained promotion in 1970/71 and in 1974 reached the Second Division (Championship) for the first and to date only time in their 91 year old history. In two seasons in the second tier of English football the club competed with Manchester United, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion and Nottingham Forest amongst others and in 1974/75 achieved their highest ever League placing when they finished 15th. The following campaign, however, they were relegated and by 1977 were back in the Fourth. In 1983/84 they won their first major honour when they finished runaway Fourth Division champions with 101 points becoming the first club in Football League history to reach three figures. City's last promotion success in the League was via the playoffs in 1992/93 when on the club's first ever visit to Wembley Stadium they beat Crewe Alexandra in a penalty shoot out. On the other side of the coin City suffered relegation six times and over the years had to make seven applications for re-election back to the League. In 2004 the club finished bottom of Division Three (League Two) and dropped down to the Conference bringing to an end 75 years membership of the Football League. During that time they had spent two seasons in the second tier and 16 in the third tier. In eight years in the Conference City reached the promotion play offs three times. In 2006/07 they lost at the semi-final stage and in 2009/10 went down to Oxford United in the final and then, on May 20th 2012, promotion back to the Football League was achieved when Luton Town were beaten 2-1 at Wembley. This latter game marked the club's 4th appearance at the national stadium in four years and completed a league and cup double that season. After four years back in the Football League, York dropped back into the Conference finishing in 24th place in League 2 in 2015/16. The following season City suffered a second successive relegation, after finishing in the final relegation place in the National League and will compete in regional non-league football in 2017/18 for the first time since 1929.